Customer Reviews

Dungeon Keeper 2 (Jewel Case)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This game is very fun to play, and it's funny. Some of the things that are said are quite funny "A warlock has become unhappy because he has been slapped." "Your dungeon is full of yogurt." "One of your imps does a great impression of you, he can even do the ears." There's always "You're devotion has earned you a free gaming tip - GO TO BED." (If you're playing it late enough). Being a homemaker I don't have a lot of free time during the day, but in the evening I get to rest. My most favorite video game is Tomb Raider (the movie is awesome). I love Dungeon Keeper 2, it's graphics are great, and the fact that you get to control you're own little world, and the creatures in it is kind of an awesome power. I mean, where else in life can you do that, and walk away whenever you want, or start over if you loose. You get to mine gold or gems and put the money in your treasury. You can build a lair, hatchery, library (for warlocks to research spells), training room, workshop (for all your traps and doors), wooden bridges, stone bridges, casino (for gambling and drinking - no evil dungeon would complete without this), a torture chamber (where dark mistresses actually torture themselves), Guard Room (for your Dark Elves), Prison and Graveyard (one turns your enemies to skeletons, the other turns your dead into Vampires), and last but not least, the Temple (where you can sacrafice anyone "The Gods have accepted your sacrafice" and possibly be blessed with other creatures, and if you're running low on Manna, you're creatures can pray). Well, I think I've said enough, if this has caught you're attention and you want to know more, I highly recommend this game. Whether you have a little evil in you or not, this game is great. It's definitely a great way to escape life. I, myself, have spent countless hours playing this game, forgetting about my worries, my problems, and the long exhausting day I've had. It's just a fun way to spend you're time. You'll thank yourself for it.

DK2 offers up a twisted slant on strategy gaming. While you do have to build different "rooms" for different purposes, along the lines of a Starcraft or Warcraft, you do not construct your own units--instead, you gather forces by attracting creatures to your realm, which necessitates careful construction of your dungeon. Later in the game, you have the capability of converting enemies to your cause. That's when the real fun begins. When you defeat enemy creatures, you have the option of killing them outright, imprisoning them (where they will starve to death and become skeletons in your army unless you heal them and feed them), or torturing them. In the torture chamber, enemy creatures are tied down, chained up, beaten, and subjected to electric shocks; they submit and join your cause, cough up critical information in terms of undiscovered enemy locations, or hold out until they die. When you have a break in the relentless activity of attacking and defending, you can watch them writhe in pain and listen to them scream. I know this sounds sadistic, but it's just a game, folks, and it is quite fun. I should also add that there are many elements of comedy thrown in, from the silly little animated vignettes between campaigns to your ethereal narrator's wry comments, to the employment of casinos for the leisure of your minions.

The early campaigns are pretty simple, so no one should have any problem getting a feel for the game interface and learning the ropes. As you proceed, the campaigns get more difficult as the armies of your enemies become ever larger and more powerful; at the same time, your fun increases because more and more elements are added to the game (such as a myriad of devilish traps you can set, additional spells you can use such as lightning strikes and earth tremors, and more interesting rooms you can build). Sometimes, you have to operate under a time constraint, but usually you are able to leisurely build up your dungeon and amass a horde of creatures before attacking your enemies.

I should mention that the game does seem a little buggy at times, at least on my PC. At times, the game crashes when I complete a dungeon mission (and the game may or may not recognize the fact that I actually completed the mission after I reboot and restart), and the animated cut-scenes between missions also have a tendency to crash the program. All in all, though, the game is quite enjoyable, and it's still somewhat unique in its elements of gameplay and strategy. I think it holds up rather well even now in terms of graphics, although it is certainly not an artistic masterpiece. You do need strategy to excel, especially in the later levels, but the dark comedy it offers allows you to enjoy your game even when you are not victorious. I bought this game as soon as it was released, and I still enjoy playing it.

In the very unlikely event that you are considering purchasing this game, here are some descriptions and thoughts:
1. This is a relatively old game - that's why it's cheap
2. It is a highly original game with a good sense for black humor.
3. It goes as follows- a real time strategy/tactics game where you rule a dungeon and build rooms, produce units, train them and fight the good guys (yes you are the bad guy). The game follows a series of missions but can be played in a single scenario mode as well as varios training missions. I guess you can describe it as an underworld version of WarCraft but this game definetely has its own identity.
4. The original ideas are as follows:
a. You have significant control over the landscape as you are the one digging through the rocks. That means that you define if you want wide open spaces (if you have a large army) or long narrow corridors that are heavily trapped (if you are the small guy). Results in the game having an entirely different dimention than most of the real time strategies.
b. The game allows you to take posession of one of your creatures (assume a first person look) and play for a while in a first persion shooter perspective. You do that in order to accomplish a specific task.
c. The ability to convert units, train uints, etc.

Overall, a really great game. It's age shows here and there but otherwise truly great. I am looking forward to any sequels.

Technical support wise, it's a bit capricious in terms of video and audio cards - because the game is old your computer probably has the requirement but never hurts to check before you buy. You may also have to make special adjustments (I had to disable hardware acceleration on the audio). If you have NT based Windows you probably already know the drill by now.

Dungeon Keeper 2 was obviously a labor of love. The 3D graphics have a fairly low poly count by today's standards, but they're colorful, lively, and well-textured. The gameplay cleverly draws novices into the world of dungeon management and teaches them the ropes while keeping the material varied and interesting. Best of all, the game's dark sense of humor and deep appreciation of the fantasy genre make it a must for fans of dungeon crawls everywhere. It's worth buying the game just to hear the narrator's running dialogue, reminiscent of Vincent Price in some of his classic faux-Poe horror films from the 60's. Although the game does feature a bit of hack and slash action, it concentrates more on building and managing a fabulous Rube Goldberg machination of horror than anything else. I recommend playing it late at night.

Dungeon Keeper 2 is a few years old, but it's still fresher than 99% of the games that came out this year. It's a classic.

Dungeon Keeper 2 is one of the most innovative games I've had the pleasure of experiencing. It combines an intuitive interface with excellent graphics and AI, and a unique setting. The interface is definitely the most interesting of these, as it is a combination of real time strategy and first person action. There aren't many games that attempt this, and those that do were almost uniformly horrible. It's great to see a game that finally got it right.

As for setting, DK 2 is pretty unique. It's reminiscent of a 'black' only Black & White, but keep in mind that this game is quite a bit older. Also, the emphasis isn't really on advancing your creatures- although there is that- but on building your dungeon and wiping out your enemy. You can do godlike things, such as picking up creatures and dropping them elsewhere or casting devastating spells to wreak havoc in the ranks of good. It's quite amusing to see many of our favorite D&D-type heroes, but this time from the other side. One doesn't really appreciate how pompous and axe-headed knights are until you're fighting them rather than playing as them.

About the only complaint I have about DK 2 is that it's old. Now, normally I don't complain about the age of a game. I still play Red Alert (not 2) and other fabulous classics from time to time. However, DK 2 seems to really suffer from its years more than other ones. There hasn't been an update for the game in 2 years, and the list of possible hardware conflicts is huge. This is because much of the hardware that existed back when it came out is now obsolete, and the designers didn't give much thought to the future. Also, DK 2 has some odd software quirks. In my case, I have to end task everything except Windows Explorer to get the game running. A hint if you have trouble- go to Bullfrog's website, NOT to EA Games. Their tech support doesn't know anything, and worse, all the troubleshooting links on this edition of the game will point you to them.

The bottom line is, despite its age, DK 2 is definitely worth the meager cost. Grab it while you can!

Every PC gamer knows of the Sims, and its quest to build a neighborhood, fulfill a happy life or ruin it, in Dungeon Keeper 2, your quest is to build an underground dungeon, dig for gold for funds and thwart treasure hunters and heroes who come to slay you. You start out with a "dungeon heart," which is the main area, if the heroes get to the heart they can destroy it, collapsing your dungeon. You begin with 4 imps, who do your dirty work, mine for gold, reinforce walls, build sturdy floors and carry things like gold and heroes. Once you have a nice size room, you can make a room theme, such as Lairs (where monsters sleep), hatcheries (monsters eat eggs), Training areas (where monsters train for battle), Libraries (where wizards go to learn spells) and Treasuries (holds gold). There are also Guard Posts, Casinos, Arenas, Graveyards, Dungeons and Portals. With Portals, that is where the monsters enter to join your dungeon. This game has a countless number of monsters (not scary monsters more like funny ones), Trolls, Goblins, Giants, Wizards, Bees, Skeletons, Vampires, Salamanders, Angels, Rouges and each with a specific use. Wizards study a number of spells, which you can use, anything from healing, creating an imp to lightning striking an enemy and possessing a monster so you can see what they can see and you can control them when fighting. There are two main ways to play (3 ways including multi-player), single player where you go through a series of dungeons (levels), which have different plots to them, such as slay a single knight, kill a colony of dwarves, invade a castle, prevent an evil wizard from escaping and torture information out of someone. Then there is the "my pet dungeon mode" where like the Sims you build your dungeon to your hearts content, and you control the heroes and elements (which having control of the elements gets boring). The graphics are dazzling, and there are cinematic cut scenes between the levels when it gives you a briefing. The big downfall is that your computer needs some real processing power for this game, because of the details when your monsters are fighting the heroes.

Every aspect of Dungeon Keeper 2 is an enhancement over the original. The graphics are earthier, the isometric view now adds a zooming quality as you move over the word. All of the characters - imps, warlocks, bile demons - are familiar, but the graphics are vastly improved. This is especially apparent when you possess a creature and look around your subterranean world.

The levels follow the standard strategy game model. At the beginning, the game leads you through what you must do, prompting you if you do not build a large enough lair large enough, or if you forget to build a hatchery to feed your minions. The familiar joy of designing rooms and foraging for gold is improved by the new, interesting graphics used both for rooms and for walls. Libraries are supplied with extra reading shelves if you fortify their walls. Lairs are decorated with new carpeting after a length of time. Chickens sometimes wander out of the hatchery into the adjoining corridors, much to my son's amusement.

One slightly annoying improvement involves the end of a level. In the previous version of Dungeon Keeper, you could hit the space bar when you were ready to end a level and move on to the next. This gave you time to gather up any extra secrets you missed, or to simply wander around and explore the level. In DK2, as soon as you kill the Lord of the Land, a Horned Reaper descends to collect a gem, and the level is ended.

In between levels, there are vastly amusing cut screens. One has a bile demon using a pair of chickens as martial arts weapons, while another has a hapless chicken being used as a handball. The violence is not graphic. The little imps hacking at each other are quite tame, and even the introductory movie is far less violent than the original from Dungeon Keeper.

In addition to the deliciously interesting campaign, there are also a number of other ways that Dungeon Keeper 2 can be played. There are multi-player missions that will work wonderfully over the Internet. There are also "My Pet Dungeons," stand alone missions where you can explore and roam to your heart's content. You get extra points for following their suggestions, but there is no compulsion to do so.

Even with all the new games that have come out since this release, we'll be playing it continuously until they finish up with Dungeon Keeper 3!

This is the most sadistic and funny at the same time game ever! Half of skirmish game i spend catchin' enemy in my prison, another half - in torture chamber...
mhahahahahahaha

If you have played the Sims or Age of Empires and enjoyed them, you will certainly enjoy this twisted 3D world.

The game is great for those who haven't played the original Dungeon Keeper and also those who have. The game teaches you as you go, so when you have the option to build an extra room you aren't left pondering what it's use is. For those who have played the original it gives you enough new stuff to keep you interested.

You are the master of your domain. Come to wreak havoc on towns such as "Smilesville." In an effort to gain control of the region. How you do this is by maintaining your dungeon. You get to build rooms such as a torture chamber, training room, and a prison.

You attract certain creatures to your dungeon like trolls, dark elves, and warlocks by building rooms that compliment their skills.

It is a fun and imaginative game. I highly recommend it!

I love this game. I have played it nearly every day for a year and I am still not tired of it. This is what computer games should aspire to be. Buy this game! And be sure to visit the DK2 website for the version 1.7 update. The game is good out of the box, but it is truly outstanding when you get the update.